To Take Up Arms For You
by PwnedByPineapple
Summary: On an unusual occasion, it's not just Sebastian who retaliates when someone hurts Ciel. Ciel/Lizzy. Pre-manga ficlet.


**Title:** To Take Up Arms For You  
><strong>Summary:<strong> On an unusual occasion, it's not just Sebastian who retaliates when someone hurts Ciel. Ciel/Lizzy. Pre-manga ficlet.

* * *

><p>If there's one thing Elizabeth Midford would give anything never to hear, it's the sound of Ciel's scream.<p>

It follows a sickening crack, the second-worst sound she can imagine in relation to the boy. Her eyes are transfixed by the sight - Ciel's arm, positioned as it should never be, with a bulge underneath the skin that becomes bone-white and bloody as it moves. For a moment, Lizzy is unable to look away from the gruesome spectacle, utterly horrified, and that's when she realizes that Ciel is still moving.

In her direction. Still trying to protect her.

_Oh, Ciel._

"Don't-!" she begins frantically, and her eyes dart up to the man responsible for the injury. He seems intent on grabbing either of them, or both, but Sebastian gets there first, delivering a powerful kick. As the man flies back from the impact, the butler doesn't stop his momentum, bending down to sweep Ciel up as gently as possible. But the motion is still enough to draw forth another cry of pain from the boy, which is cut short as Ciel clamps his mouth shut and makes an effort not to let it show.

Lizzy feels her heart clench.

"Can you handle things here?" Sebastian calls over his shoulder, glancing past Lizzy to Edward.

Her brother scowls as he hurries to her side, pulling her behind one of the massive pillars as bullets fly past. "Do you even have to ask?"

Lizzy sees Sebastian smile, sees Ciel's near-frantic and shock-glazed gaze come to rest on her, and suddenly she doesn't see them. True to his nature, Sebastian is removing his master from further harm's way, and Lizzy releases a small sigh of relief.

She's glad Ciel doesn't have to see this.

Lizzy straightens, smoothing her dress and wishing she had on something a little more practical for this situation. "Give me a sword," she tells Edward.

"Lizzy, I think you ought to stay out of this one, these are terrorists-"

She fixes him with a determined look. "I mean it!" she insists, gesturing to the two sheaths on either side of her brother's waist. "You have two!"

Edward returns the look with a frown, but Lizzy is adamant, and her brother knows that arguing any further will only get his foot stepped on rather painfully. When the requested sword is offered and Lizzy retrieves Ciel's dropped pistol, she lets the weapons' familiar weight rest in her palms for a moment... closing her eyes, readjusting her mindset.

She casts aside the mere girl. She is the daughter of the Knight of England Marquis Midford, a knight in her own right if not by title, and there is a threat to England, her family, and herself in her presence. The same threat that hurt the boy she loves, that made him scream.

When Elizabeth Midford opens her eyes, they are smoldering.

* * *

><p>It's a brief firefight. Lizzy's parents and several policemen are on the other side of the museum's main room, hammering the group of terrorists from that side and driving them toward the fire of the Midford siblings. It's painfully obvious that the attackers weren't prepared for such resistance. They'd clearly come with the intent of destroying part of the newly opened museum and had instead found one of England's deadliest families within. They are amateurs, at best, their numbers too small and their supplies too inadequate to be effective in the face of surprise. A careless mistake had revealed their explosives, and an equally foolish move had led them to try to take the nearest, supposedly "helpless" individuals hostage.<p>

"_Sebastian! Disarm that man!" Ciel had been the first to notice; seeing through one eye did not hamper his sharpness. The butler moved where the boy pointed, in a matter of seconds casually disabling the man carrying the partially revealed explosives, and Lizzy felt a rough hand latch on to her arm._

_The man holding her had whipped out a gun, causing almost immediate panic among the museum's visitors. "Stop!" he bellowed, as Sebastian, Edward, the Marquis, and the Marchioness each leapt to handle various other 'civilians' also pulling out weapons. "Don't move! I'll-"_

_His words were cut off when Ciel elbowed him squarely in the gut. The man reflexively let go of Lizzy, who'd instinctively been prepared to give him much the same treatment, and she watched with widened eyes as Ciel pushed her away and drew out his own pistol from within his coat. The man, with a snarl of rage, struck out. Ciel ducked the attack, but the man's other hand came around and fastened onto Ciel's arm, twisting. The pistol clattered to the ground, and the man lifted a struggling Ciel. "You'll do just as well," he snorted._

_And let loose a howl of outrage when Ciel bit and kicked him._

_Lizzy didn't quite see how it happened. The entire scene had taken place over the course of only a few seconds, and this went down even faster._

_All she heard was that horrible crack as Ciel was tossed to the ground._

Lizzy grimaces at the memory. She can just barely see that same man, taking shelter behind the reception desk, just outside of range. He's firing wildly, determined to take someone with him, as all of the attackers seem to be. Are they insane?

Until there are suddenly no more bullets flying from the center of the room.

The attackers had run out of ammunition.

Lizzy looks back at the man and sees his face contort in anger. "No!" he roars, as he and several others surge out from behind the desk in an attempt at a mad dash for freedom.

But Lizzy gets to him first.

She swings her brother's sword in a neat arc, expertly slicing at the man's lower legs. He stumbles, nearly collapsing at the unexpected attack, but he's strong; he climbs up instantly, turning rage-filled eyes on Lizzy.

He lunges and she sidesteps, sweeping the sword around once more. This time, she pierces his side, and he wheezes, sagging. It hadn't been that deep of a cut, and she realizes that at least one of his ribs must be broken from Sebastian's earlier kick. But it seems he's running on adrenaline, because he becomes more furious. As he lunges once more, too angry to be thinking clearly, Lizzy's eyes narrow.

She remembers Ciel's cry of pain. How he'd protected her and been hurt because of it. How she'd watched the bone literally break through skin.

She thrusts the blade skillfully, aiming directly for the man's unprotected heart.

But his body is no longer within her range. He's been yanked out of the way, and Lizzy's eyes fly wide in surprise as Sebastian slams the attacker into the ground. The butler bends low, murmurs an, "I think you need to go to sleep now," and his hands fly to one of the key pressure points on the man's neck.

Lizzy's eyes are still wide as Sebastian straightens; her breathing has sped up more than the fight warrants. She's all too conscious of her position, of the sword in her hand. He'd seen. He'd seen her fight.

"Well," Sebastian says, gazing at her and cocking his head. He appears greatly interested. "That was most unexpected, Lady Elizabeth."

She drops the blade. "Please," she gasps. "Please don't tell him!"

Sebastian gives a small frown. "The young master?" he asks. "I'm afraid I don't understand why you feel the need to hide your... abilities... from him."

Most of the terrorists have been subdued by now. The museum is no longer full of chaos, but Lizzy doesn't notice. To her mind, there are only two people in the room. "He doesn't want a strong wife!" she says desperately. "I want him to see me as cute. Not... not _this_." This isn't what a lady does, what a lady is. This isn't how she'll make Ciel happy. "Please, Sebastian, don't tell him about this!"

Sebastian raises an eyebrow. "... I should think the young master would be glad of a strong wife."

"You don't understand..." Lizzy murmurs, trailing off. Ciel had told her. She remembers it so clearly. "Just... promise me, Sebastian. Please."

The butler regards her for a moment, his expression entirely unreadable. Then he smiles softly. "Very well," he says, bowing his head. "I give you my word - he will not hear of this from me."

Lizzy returns the smile, feeling the tension begin to leave her body and tiredness come to take its place. "Thank you," she says gratefully, and when she makes a move to retrieve the dropped sword, Sebastian moves more quickly, sweeping it off the ground and presenting it to her.

The sight brings the fight to the forefront of her mind - or rather, its end. She nods in thanks and gestures to Ciel's pistol, that she'd tossed aside in chasing down the terrorist; Sebastian retrieves that as well, and Lizzy takes the opportunity to give him a long look. "Sebastian," she says, "you took that man down. You knew where I was aiming... didn't you?"

Sebastian's smile does not falter. "I did not think someone such as yourself should stain your hands with another person's life... even amidst the heat of battle."

Lizzy gazes at him a moment before breaking out into a fuller smile, almost a grin. "Thank you again," she says, and she's beginning to feel a great weariness in earnest. All she wants is to know that her fiancé will be alright. "Where is Ciel?"

"I brought him to the nearest doctor, although he immediately ordered me back here." Sebastian sighs at the memory. "I will be bringing him to the townhouse as soon as the surgeon releases him. I'll let you know when I do."

"You truly are an amazing butler," Lizzy says with a grateful giggle.

Sebastian smirks. "I am the Phantomhive butler," he corrects and takes a step back. "We shall be seeing you soon, then, Lady Elizabeth."

Lizzy watches as he turns and slips out of there, speedy as usual. Then she looks down at the sword in her hands, lightly coated with that horrible man's blood. It could have been dyed a much deeper red, and for a moment, she had _wanted_ it to be. She isn't sure whether to be frightened by this revelation or not, but she's far too tired and worried to want to dwell on it.

She pushes the matter out of her mind for the moment and rejoins her family.

* * *

><p>A new, zealous terrorist group, determined to attack England's very culture. The opening of the new museum hadn't been the only strike; other key places of art and culture and enlightenment had been targeted, and few of them had been successful. A green group of radicals, obviously, too impassioned and unskilled to function well.<p>

Lizzy reflects on this on the way to the Phantomhive townhouse. It was supposed to have been a fun outing; it had taken her considerable effort to pull Ciel away from his work, and she'd wanted to make it a grand occasion for him. She'd wanted it to be a family thing... a perfect thing...

But that had been ruined.

"Ciel!"

His arm is in a sling and he's sitting up in bed, but overall he looks well. Though she can't help but want to cry a little at his injury, she's overwhelmingly relieved to see that he's alright.

"Elizabeth!"

His tone is anxious. He's worried about her, when he should be concerned with himself. Lizzy's mouth trembles, and her heart threatens to burst for a moment. "I'm so glad you're alright!" she exclaims, rushing up to him but refraining from hugging him, lest she jostle his injury. Instead, she takes his uninjured arm, wrapping his hand in her own and gazing at him, her eyes watering. "I'm sorry, Ciel! I wanted it to be a fun experience. I didn't think it would turn out like this... I'm so sorry..."

Ciel is frowning, like usual. He doesn't quite meet her eyes. "No," he says. "It wasn't your fault. Don't apologize." He meets her gaze briefly, and concern once again creeps into his voice. "You weren't hurt, were you?"

Lizzy almost laughs. "Of course not!" she says. "Don't worry about me, silly! Worry about yourself." She looks down at the sling, biting her lip. She still can't forget the sight of the blood, the bone. "How long will you have to wear that?"

"The surgeon said several weeks," Ciel says, shrugging his good shoulder. "But Madam Red is coming over soon to evaluate it herself." Giving an uncomfortable little cough, he shifts his position and gently pulls his hand from hers.

He's still frowning. Lizzy wants him to smile, just once, just to know that he's truly alright, and she gives him one in the hopes that he'll return it. "Well, I'll just have to keep your spirits up!" she states, and his expression doesn't change.

"You don't have to do anything," he tells her.

"But I want to!" she insists. "Ciel... you got hurt because I made you come with me. I just want to make things better for you."

Ciel's visible eye softens somewhat, even if he still won't smile. "Lizzy," he says firmly, and the use of her nickname draws a hopeful little smile from her. "Don't blame yourself, please. You aren't responsible for what lowlife terrorists decide to do."

Lizzy drops her eyes. "I know," she says softly, and she just can't explain to him that all she wants is his smile.

But he's alright, and really... that's all that matters.

"Why don't you go home for now?" he says. "I can't really do much in this state. I'd only bore you."

He could never bore her, but she doesn't argue. She can see that he's tired and still in some measure of pain, and she's determined to do anything to make that better, even if it means leaving him alone.

Sebastian, who's stood quietly off to the side the entire time, comes forward. "I've already arranged for a dinner with your family in a week's time, before we return to the manor house," he tells Lizzy; he's never short of a smile, like the knowing one he's giving her now. "You'll be able to spend as much time with the young master as you want, then."

Lizzy returns the expression. "I'd like that!" She looks back to Ciel, wishing so badly to hug him, but once again she stops herself. "I do hope you feel better soon, Ciel! If you need anything, just call me!"

And all he does is nod.

Sebastian escorts her to the door of the bedroom, but before he can guide her outside, Lizzy hears Ciel's voice once more.

"Lizzy," he calls, and she practically spins around.

She finds him smiling... at her, for her. "Thank you," he tells her, and though she can tell it isn't the most natural of smiles, she knows he's trying.

It's so beautiful that her eyes begin to water once more. She gazes at him a moment, her face scrunched up ever so slightly in an effort to contain her emotions. "Don't thank me!" she cries, then turns and practically runs from the room.

She's just so glad that he's alright.


End file.
